chapter two:
vixens

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luca frowned, staring at his toast instead of eating it.

"luca you're gonna make mom upset" christian scolded his younger brother.

"you know it's just like mari is still here. do you think she's running right now, just in a different neighborhood?" luca inquired, putting his bread back on the serving plate.

"stop talking about mariposa. now you're making us all upset" christian whispered the last part.

"good morning mi chicos!" leanne exclaimed, walking into the kitchen. "luca! this looks wonderful!" she thanked her son, who was studying to be a chef, and had prepared them all breakfast.

"of course mom" luca faked a little smile towards his mother.

"where's eric? luke made him a special omelette, with that ham he likes" christian asked, knowing his stepdad was usually down first.

"oh funny thing, i kicked him out last night" leanne told them. both her sons saw tears pooling in her eyes, yet she remained smiling.

"i'm so sorry mama," christian said, giving luca a kick under the table before he said something snarky.

luca didn't take the hint, "well i'm not,"

leanne looked at her feet. she pulled an envelope out of her back pocket, opening and closing her mouth as if she was going to say something. luca's phone rang, breaking her out of her trance, "no phones at the table chico, you're eating"

"it's mari, and i try not to disappoint, but i guess that's not something you understand" luca glared, answering his call and walking to another room.

"mom i'm so sorry, let me just talk to luke, he shouldn't speak to you that way" christian quickly apologized on behalf of his sibling.

"no, i deserve it" leanne finally letting a tear escape, but moving fast to wipe it away, "i- can you ask luca to give this to mariposa at school today, it's crucial that she reads it" she held the envelope towards her eldest son.

before christian could respond, the younger abbott interrupted.

"mariposa isn't coming to school today. but she wants me to babysit AJ tonight while she's at tryouts for the vixens," luca informed his family, walking over to his mom, snatching the paper from her hand. "i'll give it to her, but there's promise she won't just throw it away"

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posie slipped a headband onto her daughter's head and buttoned a coat onto her small torso.

"are you excited to see luke, conejita?" posie whispered to her baby. "are you? are you?" she giggled, adelaine smiling sweetly.

vixen tryouts were directly after school, and mari had been getting ready for the last hour. she couldn't be more over the moon, it felt like she could finally be normal again, doing something she loved since freshman year when she first began on the squad. but she knew should wouldn't feel truly at home until after track tryouts, which were to be held next week. she was already clad in her vixen outfit, and she figured she'd already been guaranteed a slot. cheryl always liked her, it was polly she wasn't so hot on.

when the rumors first started, that polly and jason had been sleeping together, it was cheryl that started them. she never tried to take down posie, even after jason had told her that it was mariposa he was dating, and not her best friend. mari could never figure out why cheryl despised polly so much and loved mariposa, but she never questioned it. she took what she could.

posie loaded adelaine into her car seat, and put her into christian's old car he'd given to her once he bought himself a new one. she almost felt like she was speeding as she made her way to the school, but she couldn't help how joyous how she truly felt.

luca met her at her car, a couple blocks from the school, enveloping her in the biggest hug.

"i miss you mari" was the first thing luca said.

"i miss you and christian too" she frowned, leaning more into her older brother. "but i'm doing really well at the cooper's, and adelaine is safer there"

"i get it. can i eat dinner at your house today, i have a lot to tell you, and mama wanted me to give you something" luca told her

posie gave him a curious look. "sure, i bet alice will let you. you can take adelaine anywhere but home, and if anyone asks you're babysitting for a friend of mom's" she warned him.

"of course mari" luca smiled "good luck at tryouts baby sis"

"stop it" mari giggled, "see you later luke"

posie walked in the gym doors that led in from the parking lot. she quickly noticed the potential vixens stretching and practicing their auditions. she ignored them and went straight to cheryl.

it was almost like cheryl could smell like posie from a mile away, because without even glancing, a smirk took to her face.

"digging the new look abbott, you wanna tell me where you were all summer" cheryl looked mariposa dead in the eye.

"in spain. with my grandmother," posie lied. no one knew about the sisters. or about AJ. and she wasn't about to tell them.

"and you weren't at school today" cheryl continued.

"i'm not ready cher. but i will be. on monday" posie assured her. "i was hoping you of all people could understand"

this elicited a frown from cheryl, "i just want you to know you have a spot. you are my best vixen" she ignored what posie had said, "i want you by my side choosing who's on my team, but only if you want to"

"or course cheryl" posie smiled. "i still remember all our iconic cheers. i missed you this summer. and, i'm sorry cheryl"

cheryl smiled back a bit, before rounding up her vixens and ordering them for tryouts.

"hey betty!" posie called to her adopted sister, who was stretching next to a girl mariposa had never met before.

"posie! hey! come meet veronica!" betty grinned.

the raven haired girl held her hand out to the faux brunette.

"veronica lodge, pleasure to me you" the girl introduced herself, shaking hands with posie. "i just moved here, betty has told me lots about you"

"yeah, she mentioned meeting you at pops, nice to finally put a face to a name"

the thee girls laughed and made small talk until the actual tryouts began.

by cheryl's side, posie helped choose the future of the cheer squad she's been apart of for years now. of course, she defended her "younger sister", but she still cut people when it was necessary. she was appreciative of veronica's speech, but a little part of her nagged at the thought of such a dramatic girl befriending betty.

this was high school. all this gossip. cheerleaders. football players hollering from the bleachers. side by side with the queen bee. for just a moment mariposa could forget all that happened, and once again finally felt like she was apart of something again.

and apart of something she was. a vixen. a golden girl. the mariposa everyone remembered and loved.

she felt like her again.

and that really meant everything.

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